MEDIA RELEASE
UNDER EMBARGO—strictly not for publication before
1.00am Friday 23 October 2009
Alcohol remains number one on drug treatment list
Alcohol continues to be the number one drug of concern for Australians seeking treatment
for drug or alcohol issues, according to a report released today by the Australian Institute of
Health and Welfare (AIHW).
The report, Alcohol and other drug treatment services in Australia 2007-08: report on the National
Minimum Data Set, found that treatment for alcohol issues has continued to increase, with
treatment for alcohol comprising 44% of treatment episodes in 2007-08 compared with 38%
in 2002-03.
‘Over 154,000 alcohol treatment episodes were provided in 2007–08, which is 7,000 more
than the year before,’ said Amber Jefferson of the Institute’s Drug Surveys and Services Unit.
Alcohol treatment was followed by treatments for cannabis (22% of treatment episodes),
amphetamines (11%) and heroin (11%).
‘Treatment for heroin use declined over the five years between 2002-03 and 2007-08, but
there was a slight rise in the number of treatment episodes last year, from 14,870 in 2006–07
to 15,571 in 2007–08,’ Ms Jefferson said.
‘Treatment for cannabis and amphetamines has remained stable,’ she said.
The vast majority of episodes (96%) involved clients seeking treatment for their own alcohol
or other drug use, but a small percentage were for people seeking treatment related to
someone else’s drug or alcohol use.
Alcohol was the focus of treatment for most age groups—32% for people in their 20s, 42% for
people in their 30s and 84% for people 60 and older.
Younger people (aged 10–19 years) were more likely to receive treatment for cannabis use
(43% of treatment episodes) than alcohol (34%).
Counselling was the most common form of treatment followed by withdrawal management.
The AIHW also released today, Alcohol and other drug treatment services in Australia 2007-08:
findings from the National Minimum Data Set, which presents summary results.
Canberra, 21 October, 2009
Further information: Amber Jefferson tel. (02) 6244 1137 mob. 0407 915 851
For media copies of the report: Publications Officer 02 6244 1032
UNDER EMBARGO
—strictly not for publication before 1.00am Friday 23 October 2009
NEWS 
